The Legend of Jayden: The Sea
by Shanniiie
Summary: With a heart shaped eyepatch, a large ship, and a heart full of hatred, Jayden is left to sail the seas of Hyrule.
1. Letter to Jayden

When you read this, we won't be around anymore, Jayden. I regret having to write these words, but I'm sure you're bright enough to understand them.  
The reign of Ganon has been going on for awhile now. He's been attacking several islands, and he attacked ours when you were just a young girl, not old enough to remember. Windfall Island. It was a beautiful place, though I'm not sure how well it fared. I'll never be able to see from this cell.  
I'm sure, just from the few words above, you've managed to figure out this much: we worked for Ganon. Not by our choice, but it was your life or our servitude. Naturally, we picked our servitude, leaving you in the care of Ms. Doyle. I'm not sure how she raised you, but I know that, as she promised, and since you are reading this, she has entrusted you with my old ship. My crew was captured with the rest of us, so finding another crew is up to you at this point.

Your mother and I met as we were sailing the seas. I was going from Island to Island, trying to find people worthy enough of being in the great Jack's crew. I wanted all males, being young and ignorant. When I met your mother, it was on Windfall Island. I put word out that I was looking for a crew, and the next day, a whole bunch of men were there. Men that would put your average body builder to shame. And in the masses, was your mother. I had no idea that she was even a woman at first, but something was off about this person. Maybe it was the feminine, hairless face. Maybe it was the feminine body (I was ignorant, once more. Only later did I realize that not every woman past the age of seventeen had breasts. Your mother certainly did not). She had baggy clothing on, her fiery red hair tucked into an odd hat, and... And eyepatch. Yes, she was dense enough to think that pirates had eyepatches. Her eyepatch was in the shape of a heart, and over her right eye. And because she stuck out to me, I unknowingly took a female into my crew.  
Things were fine for awhile. She worked hard, and she was no different than any of the other crew. Of course, there were moments where, had I been thinking about it, I would have been screaming 'thats a bloody woman', but I wasn't and I didn't.  
Only when she started giving me fawning glances, did I start to really watch. Over the dinner table, she had only eyes for me. It made me feel weird, and I didn't get it at first, before some of the other crew began making jokes that she wanted me. I was disgusted and humiliated, and so I hatched a plan: this member had to go. I would drop her off on another island, and she would either die there or figure out a way to get back home. Either way, it had nothing to do with me past that point.

It was rainy and storming when I found the opportunity. We had docked at Diamond Steppe Island. I led her outside, and being in love with me, she eagerly followed. We stood in the rain, and just as I was about to abandon her there, she gave me the sweetest smile I had ever seen, and said the words,  
'I'm a girl'.  
I was shocked and appalled and unforgiving. I was about to strike her in my rage, actually, when she got on her toes and kissed me with more passion than I cou;d imagine existed. It felt wrong to me, but for some reason, I couldn't punish her. I couldn't leave her there, and so I took her onto the ship, intent on sending her back to Windfall.  
I ignored her for the next few days. It was killing me to do as much, but I didn't let it show. However, she was a bleeding heart, laying it all out on the table for everyone to see.  
She had no idea we were headed for Windfall until we were there. She saw her home, she realized what was happening.  
And began sobbing. I had never seen a girl cry before, and your mother's crying just about broke my heart in two. She took me to the side, and told me that she couldn't possibly go home. She was unhappy and was nothing but a labor worker for her father, unloved and uncared for. And, for the most part, I didn't care. Until she said,  
'I want to believe not all men are like that'. And I strangely wanted her to believe it too. Because as much as I had not liked your mother for her acts, I realized I liked her enough to want her to be happy. And if she could not trust men, how would she be happy?

Obviously, I let her stay on the ship. She ended up getting pregnant with you many years later, and when I heard I was going to be a father, I knew it was time to get off the seas and start settling down. So, we moved to Windfall Island. The crew was upset that we were disbanding, and that I had gotten Tess pregnant, but I was delighted and didn't care. I put my ship in storage, so to say, and your mother and I lived together happily, waiting for you.

Finally you came, and we were insanely happy, your mother and I. I don't think there was any greater joy in our lives.  
You stayed with us for about two years. Around the one year mark, Ganon began attacking several islands. Worried that Windfall would be next, we took precautions and wrote our wills, which is how you managed to get this ship.  
Ganon did attack, about a year later. His minions came and demanded that we serve Ganon, or watch you die before us. As I said, we gave ourselves up and entrusted you with Ms. Doyle.

Your mother and I worked for Ganon, under the constant pressure and threats of them going back for you if we didn't give him our all. And so we did. We wreaked havoc, tore families apart, burned homes and even murdered a few people. The blood on our hands is all for you.

Your mother couldn't do it anymore. She fell deathly ill, living in that Forsaken Fortress, and I refused to leave her side. Instead of going back and killing you, Ganon has sentenced us to death. It's merciful, to say the least.

The postman is sneaking in here later, as he usually does to send off the last wishes of condemned people, and so I felt you needed gto see this.

We'll always love you, Jayden Mills. Enclosed in this letter is your mother's heart eyepatch, and I hope you'll wear it with pride. Explore the seven seas with this ship, do what you please, just don't put it to waste.

I love you, and so does your mother. We're sorry we couldn't be around to see you grow up.  
Goodbye.

Jack and Tessa


	2. What to do?

Jayden's eyes read the words over and over again, yet none of them would settle into her mind. Her parents were dead. Granted, this letter was obviously sent some time ago, and they had been dead for awhile, but it hurt her heart to think of it. Her mother, Tessa, and her father, Jack, had given their lives for her.  
Jayden suddenly wanted to be moving. She dropped the letter and the enclosed eyepatch, and ran off of the ship and onto Windfall Island once more, running past the people admiring the ship that was now hers, and into what she had considered her home. Slamming the door so hard that the fine china all around shook and nearly fell off its sitting place, she quickly moved into the kitchen, where her caretaker, Ms. Doyle, sat.  
"The best you could come up with is that they were exploring?" She managed, her voice hoarse. Alarmed, Ms. Doyle turned around to face her. Her wrinkled face, her white hair that always managed to escape the grasp of her elastic, her brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black... This was Jayden's parental figure, Ms. Doyle. The face described began to blur behind Jayden's tears, and she sniffled deeply. Seeing that she was going to go into a rare crying fit, Ms. Doyle sighed and approached her, her arms reached out. Although Jayden was short, she was still a bit taller than the woman in front of her, and had to lean down to allow Ms. Doyle to wrap her arms around her. Letting a sob break out, Jayden just sat there, awkwardly hunched over to allow Ms. Doyle to comfort her.  
"I'm sorry, Jay," she said to the fiery-haired girl, sighing softly. "I should have expected this to happen. I knew you would get your father's ship when you turned eighteen, but I didn't think... How did he get ahold of you, child? What's become of him? I suppose there's not a chance he escaped, nor your mother. I knew they were going to die there, even though they promised to get out," she said, her own voice trembling near the end of her sentance. Jayden inhaled deeply. She wasn't one to cry, and her crying jags were never too long, but when she cried you knew there was good reason. She was a tough girl, a real tomboy and certainly not one to be caught crying.  
"There was a letter in the ship," she said, her voice still hoarse. After trying to clear it a few times, she gave up. "He and my mother were excecuted the night it was sent out to me," she said, her hands trembling. Ms. Doyle looked up at her sadly, taking her hands to try and stop them from shaking.  
"Well, what'll you do? You've got a new ship, dear. I must say, Jack's ship always was a good one. Is it still in good condition?" She asked. Jayden avoided her eyes.  
"I'm going to destroy the ship," she muttered.  
"What? Why on Earth would you do that, child? Your father gave that to you, and that ship meant the world to him. Now, I know you like to look bad in front of your friends, but you and I both know that's overly spiteful and not needed," she lightly scolded. Jayden looked at her with her bright green eyes, her elegently shaped eyebrows arched in confusion.  
"I have no idea what to do with a ship. The letter said to do with it what I pleased, but I have nothing I'd like to do with a ship," she replied. "It's in perfect condition. A little dusty, but it'd be really beautiful if I just cleaned it a little," she said.  
"Then do that, Jay. Don't just destroy it. You can find a good use for it. Heck, knowing your creative noggin, you could think of one-hundred-and-one things to do with it. You could take after your daddy. Get a sea chart and hunt for treasure. Explore the Great Sea. Do something with it," Ms. Doyle ordered, reaching up and taking Jayden's face in her hands. She forced Jayden down so they were eye-level, and looked at her meaningfully. At first, Jayden looked at anything but Ms. Doyle's eyes, but hesitantly gave in and looked at her, chewing on her lower lip. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Ms. Doyle let go.  
"But do all of that tomorrow. It's getting late and dinner'll be done soon. Go do what you need to, tell your friends, whatever you please. But hurry up and do it because I won't be reheating your food if you let it go cold again," she ordered. Jayden nodded, and silently left the house. Looking up at the sky, she sighed, debating on where to go first. Her best friend's house, she assumed. She would want to know before anyone else did.

As she was walking quickly to Lyla's house, she glanced up for a few seconds to see none other but Lyla on the large cliff that overlooked the sea. Silently, Jayden walked to the cliff, and to Lyla. Lyla didn't jump in surprise, didn't even flinch. She just continued staring at the sea. Jayden sat down next to her, her eyes on the- no, _her, _ship which was at the dock of Windfall. Usually all you saw there was small sail boats. This ship looked like it could devour them, and Jayden frowned at the idea of having to steer it.  
"How am I going to manage," she muttered, covering her face with her hands. Lyla looked over at her, saying nothing for a few seconds.  
"You're lucky, actually," Lyla said, returning her glance to the sea. To keep herself from lashing out at Lyla, Jayden glared up at the sky instead. Stars were starting to dot the sky, and the moon had quickly risen. When Jayden felt calm enough to not rip Lyla's head off, she spoke again.  
"How so," she managed through a clenched jaw. It was meant to be a question, but it sounded like a challenge. Catching onto her tone, Lyla sighed and looked at her.  
"Cool it, Jay. You may not see it, but this is your opportunity to get out of here. I know Windfall's a nice place, but you're a girl who needs more than that. You've been itching to get out of here since you turned sixteen, I can tell," Lyla said, her tone defensive. Jayden glared out at the sea, no longer wanting to even look at the ship.  
"I've been wanting to get out, but I never wanted to be a freaking pirate. Not to mention, what do I even do with a boat? Apparently my dad was this huge pirate, really famous, but I don't feel like any of that passed onto me or anything. Lyla, I have no clue what I'm doing," she groaned, flopping onto her back. It was silent for a good minute, the waves slapping against the island the only noise.  
"First you have to get a crew," Lyla instructed. "A sea chart, and some confidence," she added, and poked Jayden's side. "Where's Jay, may I ask, and who is this person? Where'd all that confidence go, huh? You're Jay! You can do whatever you damn well please, yeah?" Lyla encouraged, and poked Jayden once more. Jayden couldn't help but to grin a little, and sat up.  
"Want to be my first crew member?" Jayden asked, without any enthusiasm. Lyla laughed so hard that she snorted, shaking her head.  
"I didn't mean me, my dear. I'm definately not pirate material. I'm planning on staying here and taking over the Potion Shop whenever I can. You know I'm the Potion Making kinda girl. I'm not made out for the sea, but you? You are, I can tell. You have that attitude, you know? The one that says 'I'm Jayden, now get the hell out of my way!'. You can do it, Jay," she said. Jayden smiled more, and wrapped her arms tightly around Lyla. That's why they had been friends since they were young; Lyla was always there to boost her confidence. Lyla grinned a little and patted her on the back. "Alright now, let's not get all mushy," she sighed. Jayden sighed as well, and let go, looking at Lyla in concern.  
"I'm still not sure this is what I want to devote my life to, Lyla. What if I'm not made out for the sea, and I die or something? Or what if I get a crew but they decide they don't like me and throw me out to the sea or something? So many things could go wrong, and I'm not sure this is what I'm cut out for," she sighed. Lyla rolled her eyes.  
"Well, no one's forcing you to pick at this very moment anyway. Sleep on it, and come tell me your choice in the morning," she instructed, and stood up, stretching out. Jayden stood up with her, and they both walked back to the main area, off the cliff. Jayden went one way, and Lyla went the other, not saying anything to each other as they walked away.

Jayden entered her house slowly, and Ms. Doyle was at the door quickly, displeased.  
"Dinner's cold, Jay," she scowled. Jayden gave her an angelic smile.  
"Pleeeease?" She asked. The smile lit Ms. Doyle's face up, and she smiled unwillingly.  
"Fine, child. I'll warm it up. Only because I love you," she said, scurrying back to the small kitchen. Jayden watched her go and flopped into a chair in the main room, holding her head. So much had happened, it was making her head spin.  
So, she was the child of two pirates, both of which were very accomplished. They were also murderers, but only because they wanted to save their own daughter. And now she was left with a ship, a heart shaped eyepatch, and the responsibility of carrying on her father's 'legend', so to say.  
It was true; she had been wanting to leave Windfall for a long time, but now that she had the chance it was kind of scary to imagine. Leaving behind Ms. Doyle, Lyla, the rest of her friends, the kind people of Windfall...  
But it was kind of exciting, too.  
"Dinner is served," Ms. Doyle announced, handing Jayden's reheated dinner to her. Jayden began to eat, not realizing how famished she was until she had taken a bite.

Jayden entered her room, looking around. It was small, but it had always been enough. Paintings were set up around the room, her bed dominating most of it, a shelf to hold her collections and a dresser to hold her clothing. It was again, both scary and exciting to think about how tomorrow, she might not be sleeping in this room. Stripping down and getting into her bed clothing, she climbed into her bed slowly. Curling up under the covers, she stared at the wall until her eyelids began to droop, thinking until the very moment her thoughts turned into dreams.  
In front of her, in her dream land, were Jack and Tessa.  
"Go," they both whispered.


	3. The choice

Jayden's eyes slowly opened, and as everything from the previous day came rushing back into her head, she wished she could close her eyes once again and never open them again. She had hoped that the answer would, for some reason, come to her in her sleep. However, she was just as clueless as before she had passed out.  
Slowly sitting up, she cringed at the pain in her back; despite her stress, she had slept well and hadn't moved an inch. She stretched, looking around her room. Her room was her sanctuary when something went wrong, it was her hiding place when she was upset, it was her plotting place when she was angry. And soon, depending on the choice she made, it wouldn't be any of these things.  
With a feeling of extreme dread, she slipped out of bed, her feet hitting the cold floor. Rubbing her eyes for a few seconds, she pushed off the bed and looked around. Well, before anything, she needed to shower. Grabbing her outfit for the day, she walked from the room, and into the hallway. Looking to the right, to the window, she saw that it was still relatively dark outside. Christ, what time was it? She hardly ever woke up before noon unless she had to. She closed her door with a confused expression on her face. Listening, she heard rain pelting against the window, and shuffling footsteps from the kitchen. The smell of Ms. Doyle's soup drifted from the same area, and instantly drawn to it, Jayden made her way over.  
Ms. Doyle was hunched over the stove, cooking, and didn't notice Jayden until she cleared her throat. Jumping in surprise, Ms. Doyle spun around and put a hand on her heart, breathing hard.  
"Jayden, dear God. What are you doing up so early?" She asked, inhaling deeply. A small grin played at Jayden's mouth, finding Ms. Doyle's panic slightly amusing.  
"I'm not sure, actually," she replied with a sigh. "Can I have some of that soup when I get out of the shower, though? It smells pretty good," she complimented Ms. Doyle, who smiled a toothy smile.  
"Have you made your choice yet, dear? And of course to the soup, I'll have it ready by the time you get out," she asked. Jayden merely shook her head, and took leave to the bathroom.  
Once in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Heart-shaped face, big blue eyes, long, red ringlets, full lips. With a look of distaste, she looked away quickly, undressing. Letting her clothing hit the floor, Jayden turned on the water, set it to boiling hot, and stepped in, letting it scorch her and turn her body red.

By the time Jayden stepped out of the shower, her choice had been made. She dried off quickly, got dressed, and slowly left the bathroom. It was lightening up outside, the town would have it's usual morning hustle-and-bustle now. Walking into the kitchen once more, she saw Ms. Doyle all dressed up, placing a fancy hat on her head.  
"Shopping?" Jayden asked, sitting down to enjoy her now luke-warm soup. Ms. Doyle gave her a smile, and nodded. However, she didn't head for the door, and instead sat down across from Jayden.  
"Jay," she began, reaching out to take her hands. Jayden complied and gave her hands over, letting Ms. Doyle wrap them in her wrinkly ones, but she couldn't help glancing longingly at her soup. Still, she gave Ms. Doyle her mostly undivided attention.  
"I know that making this choice is hard for you, but I want you to know I'm behind whatever you choose to do. I know that going out and being a pirate, leading in your father's footsteps, is a hard, hard thing to do. But I also respect if you want to go," she said, and Jayden noticed her eyes watering. She was about to interrupt to tell her that she had already made her choice, and that it wasn't necessary to have this talk, but Ms. Doyle continued on. "I just want you to be extremely careful if you do go. There's many monsters, and many bad people out there, and I couldn't handle... If you... Well, yes," she said, and sniffed. With a sad smile, she released Jayden's hands and wiped the tears away from her eyes. Jayden's stomach turned at her words, and she said nothing, watching as Ms. Doyle stood up and headed for the door. "Don't just leave, if that's your choice, child. Wait for me to get back, I won't be too long," she instructed, before leaving the house. Jayden sat there, not sure what to do. Looking down at her now cold soup, she made a face. She no longer had much of an appetite. Standing up and pouring it out, she stared out the kitchen window. It was time to tell Lyla.

"I'm going," she blurted, looking around. The two were standing at the docks, beside Jayden's ship. Lyla grinned, her light blonde hair whipping around in the strong sea-breeze. Jayden tried to grin herself, but it faltered and it just looked like she was going to cry. She would miss Lyla so much. Lyla's grin stay put, and with an eager squeal of delight, she tossed her arms around Jayden's neck, jumping up and down.  
"I knew it, Jay! I knew you would go. And I'm going to miss you so much, oh my gosh. But still, it's going to be so exciting. You're finally getting out of here, aren't you excited even a little bit? Oh! You'll write me letters, won't you? Lots of them. Oh, I have some news too," she gushed. Jayden watched in slight confusion, though an amused smile was playing at her lips.  
"What is it, Lyla?" She asked. Lyla wasn't usually so upbeat and excitable, so she knew something big had happened.  
"Doc Bandam took stress leave. The Potion Shop is finally mine!" She grinned. Jayden smiled, knowing that Lyla had been waiting for this moment for, well... A very long time.  
"That's great, Lyla! What happened to make him take stress leave?" She asked. She didn't actually care too much, but the longer Lyla talked about herself, the less Jayden would have to talk about her soon-to-be adventure.  
"Oh, who even cares! What's important is that he's gone and I can take over. It's about time," she smiled more, and when she saw Jayden's far away expression, her smile faded. Jayden was staring out at the sea behind Lyla, her eyes distant. "Worried?" Lyla asked softly. Jayden nodded, unblinking. Lyla thought for a few seconds. "When are you leaving?" She asked. Jayden looked at her now.  
"Probably tomorrow morning," she told her. Lyla nodded.  
"Meet me here in a few hours, when it starts to get dark. I'll have something for you," Lyla instructed, and Jayden nodded, too scared to fight it. Lyla hugged her once more, and gave her a bright smile. "I'm so proud of you, Jay. You're really taking a big step here. I'll see you later tonight," she told her, before running from the docks and up into the main part of the city.  
Jayden looked up at her huge ship with a groan.  
"What have I gotten myself into?"

"Ms. Doyle, I've made my choice," she began. Ms. Doyle looked up from her nearly finished dinner, her eyes wide in anticipation. Jayden shifted in her seat, feeling rather uncomfortable with her wide-eyed stare, but she managed to squeak out the words 'I'm going'. Ms. Doyle would have jumped up and down, if she wasn't so old, so instead she settled for a huge grin.  
"Jay, oh my baby! This is wonderful, really! I'll have to tell everyone, oh my," she exclaimed, getting out of her chair. Jayden was about to protest, but realized she had to go too; Lyla would be waiting for her right about now.  
Before returning home, Jayden had done some shopping herself. Seeing as how Lyla would be working in a lab, she figured she'd need some goggles, and so Jayde had gotten her a pair of light blue and silver ones, Lyla's favorite colors. Grabbing the bag they had come in, she stood up as well. She was about to tell Ms. Doyle where she was going, when Ms. Doyle rushed out of the door without another word. Jayden made a face, but followed soon after, heading down to the docks for the second time that day.  
As expected, there sat Lyla, looking out at the sea and holding something behind her back. She looked over as Jayden approached, and smiled a little. Jayden returned the small smile, and when she finally reached Lyla, Lyla held out what was behind her.  
"I know it isn't huge, but I knew there was an auction going on tonight and this is usually one of the prizes, so I've heard, so here it is. I figured you'd need this on your little adventure. I'm going to miss you so much, Jay," Lyla explained. Jayden looked at what was in her hand: a large sea chart. All the islands were marked on it, and it had everything a map should. With a grin, Jayden took it. Anything helped her cluelessness, and this was a huge gift. Throwing her arms around Lyla, she sniffled to keep from crying.  
"Oh come on, Jay. Don't start crying now. What's that bag?" She asked, and Jayden let go, which was her desired effect. Jayden held it out to her, and Lyla took it, opening it and tagging the goggles out. With a huge grin, she put them on.  
"Ooh, Jay, they're wonderful! I needed a pair, thank you so much," she said, and she herself was sniffling now. The girls hugged each other once more, before parting ways.

Jayden returned to her room, and sighed, looking at her bed. It would be the last time she would sleep in it, for a very long time at least. She sluggishly moved towards her bed, and collapsed onto it. She was extremely stressed, and tired from her long day, and so she found it pretty easy to fall asleep.


End file.
